Preacher David's Corner

                                                                      Love your Neighbor  

Jesus said in John 13:34-35 “ A new commandment I give unto you, that ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another”. God is love and in Him is no hate at all. All through the Bible we find many verses concerning love and how it applies to us and effects us. The Holy Spirit has promised to lead us into all truth. We ask Him to prepare our hearts and minds for the business of this day. We ask so that we may walk with true courtesy and honor and love is a big part of that. I pray that God will give us an open mind ready to receive and to welcome new lights of knowledge as He reveals to us things we need to know and to grow us up in God. Let us not break faith or leave unrepaired any of yesterday’s wrongs. Show us how we can make this world a better place to live. It is one thing to say; ”I love you”, but to show love or do something in some manner speaks the love language to others in a mighty way. As we acknowledge our shortcomings, our smugness and our pride perhaps we need to ask God to forgive us where we have come short of His will for us. Love is more perfected when we are in God’s perfect will. God knows when a sparrow falls. How can we not think that He does not know what we do or even think? Do we love our neighbor? Who is our neighbor anyway? What can we do to show our love? God reveals to all of us ways to show our love that He has given us as it is needed. One way I discovered this month was through a phone call in which a widower needed someone to talk to or perhaps even go have supper together. Am I or you to be a match maker? Perhaps! An elderly person sat beside me at lunch at the local café and she began to talk to me about how sad it was because of COVID -19, she did not get our very much. We talked all during lunch and she thanked me for talking to her although all I did have say yes and no and nod my head occasionally. Showing love takes on many forms. Giving food to folks in need. Helping financially and doing odd jobs for others could be a form of love.  I travel through Ashe County, I see folks dealing with COVID -19 in lots of ways. I am thankful we do not have the big problem that some counties have for COVID is nothing to be playing with. It has made many folks sick and some sick into death. I will be glad when it is not such a threat to all of us. We have all memorized the three Ws. Wearing a mask is my least favorite thing to do. But I do it to love my neighbor. We are all a neighbor to someone. I wear a mask to protect you and you wear one to protect me and together we can drive the COVID number down. I challenge you to love your neighbor. Most of all love is shown when we share Christ with someone who needs Him. He can find a love like never before. John 15:13 shares “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. Christ died for us and has shown how much He loves us by this one thing. The least we can do is to live for Him and share His love with others including our neighbors. May we forget about ourselves and ask the Lord to help us bear one another's burdens. May we ask Him to give us courage, faith and a quite mind to love others in some form. Our good intentions will be useless unless He blesses them with love from above. May He correct in us all that is wrong that our love might show His love! If there has ever been a time in America that Christians need to show the love of God it is now. America’s only hope is God’s love! He wants to use you to show that love! Will you do it? It begins with you and I, where we live and beyond to other places that God leads us. Let His love show through your life to others. We all need some love!

                                                               Your Servant, David